Keito ran around searching everywhere for Yayoi, and it was only after he peered into the shrine that he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He saw her inside from behind. He thought about calling out to her right away, but then he heard her talking even though he saw nobody around. Warily, he waited until her talking eventually ceased.
As quietly as he could, he slid open the wooden lattice grid door.
“…Yayoi-chan.”
She had fallen asleep. It didn’t seem like she had been harmed, and it appeared safe to say she hadn’t been kidnapped or anything of the sort. Relieved, he felt the strength sap out from his body and sat down.
She was hugging a long tachi blade kept in a metal scabbard. He hesitated to take it from her, but sleeping with a sword could be dangerous. Taking care not to wake her up, he removed the sword from her arms.
It looked fairly ordinary, but he had heard it was a demonic sword. He didn’t quite believe that, but he was curious enough to talk to it. “Um, hello?”
“Good evening.”
“Wh-whoa. It really talked.” He stopped himself just short of a loud exclamation, having covered his mouth. He hadn’t thought the sword would actually respond.
“Didn’t you already know I could speak? You were listening to us earlier.”
“You noticed? Scary thing you are, demonic sword… No, wait, you’re not the sword, per se, but the demon sealed inside it, right?”
“Correct.”
Keito had listened carefully to what Yayoi said before she fell asleep. He’d thought she was talking to herself at first, but the truth all came together when he remembered the strange sword enshrined here. She had probably been coming here to talk to the sword all summer vacation.
“So you’re the wicked Demon Eater who was sealed away by the sword?”
“That’s right. I take it you’re Keito-kun?”
“Y-yeah. How’d you know?”
“Yayoi proudly described you to me. She said you’re like an older brother to her, kind and dependable.”
“Well, ha ha. I’m honored.” Keito scratched his cheek, blushing slightly. His surprise was fully gone, and there had never been any fear in him from the start. This was undoubtedly a strange situation, but the sword had looked after Yayoi while she hid here, and he saw no reason to be wary of it. “I’ve heard a bit about you myself. Something about you thinking thoughts that lead nowhere?”
“From Yayoi?”
“Yeah. She was worried and said she wanted to help you somehow.”
“How shameful of me to make a child worry. And what a kind girl she is.”
“Yeah, she’s a good kid.” Keito reached over and patted her head. “I’m glad she’s safe. She came here herself, right?”
“Right. She didn’t want to go back because it meant she couldn’t meet with her friends anymore.”
“She felt that way, huh? She’s got such good manners and acts so mature. I didn’t think she could be willful and do something like this.”
“She was stubborn enough to put up with the pain, enough to make others think she was all right. But just because you can put up with the pain doesn’t mean it isn’t there. It piles up until eventually everything comes crashing down.”
“I see. I’m ashamed. I didn’t know the first thing about Yayoi-chan.” Keito hung his head, his soft murmur carrying well through the silent shrine. The sword heard his worries and nonchalantly drove them away.
“What’s wrong with that? You’re a child; you still have all the time in the world. Just play with her next year and get to know her better than you did this year. I’m sure she would like that.”
“…Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” Children were allowed to make mistakes. He regretted that he hadn’t understood Yayoi’s heart better, but that was something that could be amended. He lifted his face and thanked the surprisingly kind demon. “Thank you, um…”
“Yayoi calls me ‘Sword-san.’”
“Then I’ll do that too. Thank you, Sword-san. For looking after Yayoi-chan…and for helping me.”
“The pleasure was all mine…and I got something out of it too. Thank you, Keito-kun.”
Keito didn’t understand why he was suddenly being thanked back, and he had a feeling the demon in the sword enjoyed his reaction. He couldn’t see his face, but he sensed it was smiling.
“How foolish I’ve been to be so hardheaded at my age. I let myself believe thinking about difficult things was the answer.”
When he was young, he’d thought adults knew everything. But the truth was that once one grew older, the knowledge they gained clouded their vision. The reason his thoughts never went anywhere was because he’d forgotten how to simply see things as they were.
“With age I gained wisdom and became able to think about difficult things, but that’s caused me to overthink and freeze in my tracks. Seeing you two has reminded me that sometimes it’s okay to just act on your feelings.”
There were times when it was better to charge headfirst into something rather than worry about the little things. Seeing Yayoi acting on her desire to stay and Keito worrying about her reminded the demon of this.
“You’re welcome, I guess? I don’t quite get what I’m being thanked for.”
“You don’t? Well, let’s just say I realized something from watching you two. More importantly, you’ll be taking Yayoi home, correct?”
“Of course.”
“Then could I trouble you to return me to that sword holder there? And remove my blade a little from the scabbard while you’re at it, if you could.”
“Oh, uh, sure.” Keito did what the demon asked. The latter half of his request was rather suspicious in hindsight, but he didn’t think the demon was as bad as he had heard. Without a second thought, he unsheathed the blade slightly and laid it carefully on the sword rest.
“Thank you. Farewell, then. Take care of Yayoi.”
“Of course. Goodbye, Sword-san. I’m truly grateful for your help, and I’d like to do something to repay the favor if I can.”
“Is that so? Then offer to exchange letters with Yayoi for me.”
“Is something like that really good enough for you?”
“It is.”
And that was the end. After Keito took his hand off the sword, he no longer heard the demon’s voice.
The dark shrine suddenly felt eerie. A bit frightened and eager to leave, Keito picked Yayoi up—careful not to wake her.
She was light. Light enough for his untrained body to lift her with ease.
She had desired to stay with everyone in Asakusa so badly that she didn’t want to return home. Knowing that made her seem all the cuter.
“…I prefer older women, though,” he said to himself. The fact that he had to say anything at all, however, might as well have been damning.
Her parents would probably scold her once she returned to Kamei’s place. He would cover for her as best as he could when that happened. He didn’t look forward to the experience, but his heart felt light. The reason was no secret to him, but he would feign ignorance of his feelings a little longer for both of their sakes.
He looked up, saw the countless twinkling stars spread thickly across the sky, and realized for the first time just how beautiful the night sky could be.